After a five year hiatus from fighting, and a lengthy stint in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Just Wren has signed with Bellator and will make his debut on August 28th.

The 28 year-old Wren (10-2) hasn’t fought since 2010, when he submitted Josh Robertson while competing for Fight Force International. At the time, it was the UFC vet’s third consecutive win, but the heavyweight elected to walk away from the sport in an effort to recover from drug addiction.

Since then, Wren has visited the Congo several times and has started up the “Fight for the Forgotten” foundation, which has helped the Mbuti Pygmies secure their own land and escape slavery. The foundation has also partnered with other charity organizations to drill water wells for for the Pygmies.

Burns (8-8), meanwhile, is coming off a submission loss to Bobby Lashley in September,

Bellator 141 will be hosted by the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California.

Josh Koscheck has long been known as someone who speaks his mind, but now that the veteran fighter is no longer employed by the UFC, he’s blasted the promotion’s president, Dana White.

Recently it was announced that Koscheck has signed with Bellator, after being with the UFC for a ten year stretch. The 38 year-old Koscheck recently spoke with Bleacher Report, and while doing so, the outspoken fighter claimed that he took a quick, turn-around bout against Erick Silva in March, because he was anxious to complete his UFC deal.

During the interview, Koshcheck also weighed-in on White’s recent interaction with fans on Twitter, following the firing of cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran. In some cases, the UFC President insulted angry fans, who lashed out at White regarding the promotion’s decision to let Duran go, after the latter criticized the Reebok uniform deal. Here is some of what Koscheck had to say:

“How can you respect a guy that runs a company and goes on Twitter rants, who calls people all the names that he calls people? I think it’s childish,” Koscheck said. “He’s supposed to be the president of a major company, a billion dollar company, and that’s how he acts? You don’t see Roger Goodell doing things like that.

“And you won’t see Scott Coker going on Twitter and telling people they look goofy or fat. Or, ‘we got that many years out of you, thanks for your money.’ Come on. It’s embarrassing. I don’t want to work for a guy like that.”

Saad Awad has participated in some big fights before under the Bellator banner, and after extending his winning streak to three, he’s been tapped for another high profile assignment.

Following a decision win over Rob Sinclair in April the fighter has been booked to fight Patricky “Pitbull” Freire. It’s a pivotal fight not only because it’s against a noted vet like “Pitbull”, but it’s also the co-main event for the August 28th, Bellator 141 card.

“Ya, I’m happy about it,” Awad relayed on a recent episode of Full Contact Fighter’s podcast. “When they recently told me about the fight I was excited about it, but they didn’t mention it was going to be co-main event. Then I got the news the other day, just what fight it is, and then they announced it today, so I’m excited about it.”

Although Awad has been with Bellator now since 2013, and has gone 6-2 during that time, the 32 year-old admits he wasn’t expecting to get top billing in his next bout.

“It kind of did,” said Awad, when asked if he was surprised by the booking. “I know when I was on the main card, and the last card that I headlined, when I fought (Will) Brooks, it was under Bjorn (Rebney). So when (Scott) Coker came in, he changed a lot of things, cut a lot of people, started bringing a lot of people in, so I kind of felt like I went back to the back of the ladder, and I had to climb back up again.”

“So I was surprised; I knew it would happen, I just wasn’t sure when it would happen,” added Awad. “I thought they might give me a main card fight and then go from there, but, ya, I was surprised but I’m happy about it.”

Bellator 141 will be headlined by a lightweight fight between Brandon Girtz and recently signed, Melvin Guillard. Since the heavy handed Guillard is a veteran fighter and a well known, UFC vet, the featured fights could determine who will fight champion Will Brooks next.

“I don’t know if they’re looking at it as these are four lightweights that are doing pretty good, and if one of them goes out there and puts on a really great show, and gets a really nice win, they’ get a title shot? Awad noted. “But who knows you know? That’s what I’m thinking.”

It will be interesting to see, however, what happens if both Guillard and Awad get wins. Guillard is likely a more familiar name with mainstream fans, but Awad has fought Brooks twice, and each man has defeated the other.

“Do I agree with it? No,” said Awad, while discussing the possibility that Guillard could be handed a title shot over him. “You know what I mean? Is that what I think could happen? I probably think that’s going to happen because I’m not going to sit here and pray for a title fight, like I did before. I’m just going to go out and keep fighting. If I have a boring fight, I’ll go to the back of the line again. If I go out there and finish somebody quick, maybe I’ll skip someone in line and get the title shot.”

Bellator 141 will be hosted by the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California.

It looks as though Bellator’s most recent event drew very solid ratings, as its broadcasting partner SPIKE, is reporting the card peaked at over 900,000 viewers.

Bellator 140 took place last Friday in Uncasville, Connecticut, and according… Read More

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Koreshkov (photo via Bellator)

By FCF Staff

It looks as though Bellator’s most recent event drew very solid ratings, as its broadcasting partner SPIKE, is reporting the card peaked at over 900,000 viewers.

Bellator 140 took place last Friday in Uncasville, Connecticut, and according to a press release from SPIKE, the broadcast peaked at 977,000 viewers. The main event fight between Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov averaged 890,000 viewers.

Koreshkov won the fight and the welterweight title via a unanimous decision victory.

Overall, the card averaged 722,000 viewers. In the co-main event, Paul Daley stopped Dennis Olson in the second round.

Douglas Lima had his reign as Bellator’s welterweight champ ended by Andrey Koreshkov on Friday night, and while he doesn’t want to make excuses, it sounds like the fighter was less than 100% for the bout.

Douglas Lima had his reign as Bellator’s welterweight champ ended by Andrey Koreshkov on Friday night, and while he doesn’t want to make excuses, it sounds like the fighter was less than 100% for the bout.

Koreshov surprised, and impressed, many observers at Bellator 140, by repeatedly taking Lima to the mat. Lima defended well from the bottom position, and scored some sweeps, but “The Phenom” was a step behind the entire fight. Koreshkov was awarded the unanimous decision win.

After the card, Lima was asked what may have contributed to the loss, and whether he was injured. The welterweight relayed the following (quote via MMA Fighting.com):

“Everybody trains with injuries in this sport that we do,” Lima said. “It’s rough. But yeah, there was some stuff going on with this camp. But, like I said, I never want to use that as an excuse. I’m just happy that I went in there and fought five rounds. It was a fun fight. I just wish I was more ready for it. It’s okay. It’s part of the game, you know. You win some, you lose some, I’m going to come back better from it.”

Lima was competing for the first time since April, 2014, when he stopped Rick Hawn. Earlier this year the noted finisher had to withdraw from a bout with Paul Daley due to a knee injury.

Andrey Koreshkov may not have done it in the fashion most would have predicted, but the fighter upset Douglas Lima tonight at Bellator 140, and laid claim to the welterweight title.

Instead of his vaunted striking game, it was the takedowns and grappling of Koreshkov which delivered him the victory. Although Lima was able to sweep Koreshkov on several occasions, the heavy handed fighter was repeatedly put on his back, and lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Here are the results from Bellator 140, which took place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Fedor Emelianenko may have a promotional deal with Bellator as a brand ambassador, but the legend’s manager says it t won’t affect where the heavyweight launches his comeback.

Recently it was revealed that the former PRIDE champ has elected to return to fighting, three years after he announced his retirement in 2012.

Fedor’s manager, Vadim Finkelchtein, recently spoke to MMA Fighting.com via email about the fighter’s comeback. When asked about the Russian star’s role as a brand ambassador for Bellator, and whether that could play a role in where Fedor signs, Finkelchtein wrote:

“I think that doesn’t matter at all. And you know, Fedor is not in a bad relationship with Dana White or anyone else…

“Fedor doesn’t have any contracts with any promotions. Nothing bounds him. So I think that would be stupid not to be in negotiations with different MMA organizations. He has time, he has a wide choice so he can choose the contract with the best conditions for him.”

The 38 year-old Emelianenko went 3-0 with M-1 Global before announcing his retirement, following a three fight losing skid with Strikeforce.

Bellator has announced the promotional debut of Melvin Guillard, as the UFC vet will take on Brandon Girtz on August 28th. The lightweight fight will be part of Bellator 141, which will take place at the Pechanga… Read More

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Melvin Guillard (photo credit: Ryan Loco)

By FCF Staff

Bellator has announced the promotional debut of Melvin Guillard, as the UFC vet will take on Brandon Girtz on August 28th. The lightweight fight will be part of Bellator 141, which will take place at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California.

Guillard (32-14-2) hasn’t fought since last November, when he lost by split decision to WSOF champ Justin Gaethje. Prior to that, the heavy handed fighter stopped “JZ” Cavalcante at WSOF 11 in June, 2014.

Girtz (11-4) fought last in September, and stopped Benny Madrid at Bellator 126. Before that the lightweight was knocked out by Derek Anderson in March, 2014.

“Since signing Melvin [Guillard] in May, we have been anxious to get him inside the Bellator cage,” Bellator MMA President Scott Coker said in the official announcement. “Brandon Girtz has performed well for us and will face his stiffest competition to date when he meets the 50-fight veteran. I’m really looking forward to the event, as well as returning to one of our favorite venues in Pechanga Resort and Casino.”

No other fights have been announced yet for Bellator 141. The main card will be televised on SPIKE.

Bellator 140 has received a change just days away from the July 17th card, as the promotion has announced that Roger Carroll has agreed to fight Brennan Ward on short notice.

Ward was scheduled to fight Gavin Sterritt at the event, however, the latter has withdrawn from the bout and the promotion has announced his release. According to a follow up report from MMA Junkie.com, Sterritt pulled out for several reasons, including his reported concern that Bellator wouldn’t permit “Rampage” Jackson to corner him. Bellator, however, claims that it would have allowed Jackson to corner Sterritt, despite the ongoing legal battle between the two parties.

Carroll (16-11) is coming off a submission win over Todd Chattelle in March and has won three straight fights. Carroll will be making his Bellator debut.

Ward (10-3), meanwhile, tapped out Curtis Millender in February at Bellator 134. The welterweight is 3-2 in his last 5 fights.

Here is the updated card for Bellator 140, which will be hosted by the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (July 13, 2015) – Bellator MMA and Spike have named veteran sports announcer and the current voice of the Boston Celtics, Sean Grande, as its new play-by-play announcer. Grande will team up… Read More

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Grande

By Bellator (via press release)

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (July 13, 2015) – Bellator MMA and Spike have named veteran sports announcer and the current voice of the Boston Celtics, Sean Grande, as its new play-by-play announcer. Grande will team up with color analyst Jimmy Smith beginning this Friday, July 17 for “Bellator 140” at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Fans can tune in to hear Grande and Smith call the action for the first time at “Bellator 140,” which airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT. The event features five action-packed welterweight fights, headlined by Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima, who defends his belt against Andrey Koreshkov, plus the return of hometown favorite Brennan Ward.

“Sean Grande is an incredibly talented and well-accomplished sports announcer with a passion for mixed martial arts,” said Scott Coker, President, Bellator MMA. “He has been behind the microphone for many championship events and we look forward to him bringing his enthusiasm and energy to Bellator as our league continues to grow.”

“I’m proud to have called games for some amazing organizations, ABC Sports, CBS, the Celtics, the Red Sox, Westwood One,” said Grande. “But I’ve simply been blown away by the people at Spike TV and Bellator, and the product they want to present. I’m legitimately honored to join both of these teams, and make some great sports television.

“I absolutely love what Scott (Coker) has done for Bellator and l’m thrilled to start calling the fights alongside Jimmy Smith Friday night on Spike. I’m going to have the best seat in the house, watching Douglas Lima and some of the best welterweights in the world. Hard to imagine a better way to kick things off, and it’s all taking place just a short drive from Boston.

“I understand why I’m a story today. But what I’m really excited about, is being able to tell the stories of amazing champions like Patricio Pitbull, Will Brooks, Douglas Lima and Liam McGeary as they rise to the top of the sport.”

More on Grande (@SeanGrandePBP):

Recently completing his 18th season in the NBA and 15th as the voice of the Boston Celtics, Grande’s epic account of the two-month run to the 2008 World Championship cemented his status as one of the nation’s elite play-callers. He’s joined by analyst Cedric Maxwell for all Boston Celtics games. Since shortly after their 2001 pairing, “Grande and Max” have become one of Boston’s most popular and iconic on-air combinations, and the soundtrack of the Celtics “New Big Three Era”.

On May 20, 2013, Grande made his Major League Baseball debut, after being named the alternate play-by-play voice of the World Champion Boston Red Sox. It completed his cycle of broadcasting major pro sports (NBA, NFL, NHL, WNBA and MLS). In January, he returned to his television roots, calling college basketball on CBS Sports Network.

Grande’s reached several milestones over the last few years. Only the legendary Johnny Most and current television voice Mike Gorman have now called more Celtics games. In 2009, he called his 1000th NBA Game, joining Marv Albert and Ian Eagle as the only three to reach that plateau before the age of 40. Grande and Max were honored pre-game at TD Garden for their 1000th game together on February 3, 2012.

Voted by the readers of Boston Sports Media Watch as the best play-by-play announcer in Boston, Sean was recruited back to town in 2001 after serving three years as the television voice of the Minnesota Timberwolves. When he signed in 1998, he was the youngest announcer in the NBA. The versatile Grande’s play-by-play credits also include two seasons as part of ABC Sports College Football broadcast team, joining the likes of Keith Jackson and Brent Musburger.

Grande’s first stint in Boston began at Boston University where he spent seven seasons calling Terrier hockey, football and basketball on both television and radio. On the television side, Grande was the original voice of the Hockey East Game of the Week on Fox Sports Net. His college hockey work for Fox and the NCAA Tournament garnered him three New England Emmy nominations including the 1999 Emmy for best Play-by-Play. He’s served six years as the television voice of the NCAA East Regional. And this past April in Philadelphia, his twelfth year as “Voice of the Frozen Four” on CBS Radio, Grande called his record fifteenth NCAA Championship Game.

His broadcast career included a seven-year stint at WEEI (1991-1998), the final three as Sports Director. His wide-ranging play-by-play career has seen him call NFL Football for Westwood One, WNBA basketball for the Minnesota Lynx (1999-2001) and Connecticut Sun (2006-2007), MFS Pro Tennis, Providence Bruins hockey, Harvard basketball and even Major League Soccer. He served three years as host of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on NHL radio and co-hosted the NCAA Hockey Selection show on ESPN2.